Youths organize fun run to save Rumford ski area

Hoping to save their beloved downhill ski area, Black Mountain of Maine in Rumford, 14-year-old Curtis Gauvin of Rumford, flanked at left by Avery Sevigny, 11, and at right by her sister Rylee Sevigny, 10, both of Mexico, organized a 5-kilometer fun run for Aug. 10 that starts and ends at the Hosmer Field track on which they're standing. All proceeds from the race they've dubbed the "Hit the Track for Black 5K" will go to Black Mountain.

Gauvin said his mother, Marie Gauvin, organized and ran a 5-kilometer fun run fundraiser for the Maine Children’s Cancer Program through her employer, Rite-Aid Pharmacy, a few months ago.

“It was a huge success,” Cheryl Sevigny, the Sevigny girls’ mother, said Thursday afternoon at the Hosmer Field track with the youngsters. “So that’s where the seed kind of started.”

Story continues below advertisement.

The event, which the youths dubbed the “Hit the Track for Black” 5K will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Hosmer Field track in Rumford. The race begins and ends there, but also travels through Rumford neighborhoods, Gauvin said.

Members of the Chisholm Ski Club have volunteered to cover the timing needs and the Mexico Police Explorers will handle traffic for the race route.

Registration is at 7 a.m. on race day. But Avery Sevigny said racers can register by Aug. 1, pay the $20 entry fee and get a T-shirt. After that, the cost is $25 but no T-shirt. Registration forms are available in Rumford at Rite-Aid Pharmacy, where Gauvin’s mother, Marie Gauvin, works, Davis Florist and Adley’s Auto. They will also be available online via Black Mountain’s website and Active.com.

Cheryl Sevigny said they’re anticipating between 150 to 200 participants. Although Rylee Sevigny surmised aloud that 300 might show up if they offered the winner a triple decker grilled cheese sandwich made by Steve at the Black Mountain Cafe. It’s her favorite sandwich.

The children said they haven’t even advertised the event yet, but already 50 people of all ages from across the state and beyond have registered. They’ve also attracted a celebrity — former Olympian Julie Parisien, who ran a race camp at Black Mountain.

“She was our coach,” Avery Sevigny said. “She used to do race camp at Black Mountain. It was fun.”

“Yeah, it was fun,” Rylee Sevigny said.

The children have visited area businesses and raised more than $500 so far and lined up several sponsors whose business names will be on the back of the T-shirts.

All three children said they have skied downhill at Black Mountain since they were very young. Curtis said he started at 4 years old.

“They were all going from top to bottom by the end of their first year,” Cheryl Sevigny said.

That’s why Black Mountain is so important to them. If it were to close, Avery Sevigny said it would end their winter recreation.

“They also have a terrain park where you can do jumps,” Rylee Sevigny said.

“It really is a perfect, small, family mountain,” Cheryl Sevigny said. “But I tell you, if they had a place for people to spend the night, they would.

“There were a lot of families last year who came here from away, because $15 a lift ticket is great,” she said. “It’s too bad there isn’t more lodging in the area, because I really think they’d be staying.”

“We’ll do that after we save Black Mountain,” Rylee Sevigny said. “Black Mountain is first.”

“You want to save Black Mountain this year, and then put up condos next year?” Cheryl Sevigny asked.